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Just in case you were wondering (or even if you weren’t), I haven’t exactly been resting on my laurels since last week’s election. Aside from outlining the foundation of a voter’s rights/education/registration organization, I also finally hopped on board with the Fort River School Building Committee last night. I’m currently getting up to speed with the work that has been done so far and am most excited about being part of the process of hiring a designer for a potential project sometime in the near future.

As for town meeting news, next Tuesday, April 10th, the Town Meeting Coordinating Committee and the League of Women Voters will be hosting a warrant review in the Town Room at Town Hall at 7 pm. The following Tuesday, April 17th, a Forum on Zoning Bylaw & Preview Upcoming Articles at 7 pm will take place in the Large Activity Room at Bangs Center. On Tuesday, April 24th, Precinct 7 will be hosting a Warrant Review (formerly known as a precinct meeting) to discuss the issues relevant to the upcoming town meeting that will begin on April 30th (presumably the last town meeting in our town’s history). If you are in a different precinct, click here (Town Meeting 2018) to find out when and where your Warrant Review will take place.

I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on my campaign for Amherst’s School Committee, now that the smoke has cleared and dust has settled, so to speak. I am truly thankful beyond words to everyone who has helped me along the way. I have been fortunate to have met so many inspiring people over the last couple of months.It certainly isn’t a great feeling to have lost such a close race, but I prefer to prioritize what I have gained from the process, so that I can use this experience as a lesson moving forward. One thing I have gained is access to an impressive network of people-Amherst residents. Going door to door and talking directly to people has given me so much more of a sense of community beyond my immediate neighborhood. The connections I have made with people have been energizing, and I hope to create more over the next year and a half…

While I came up short in my bid for School Committee, I did manage to secure a seat in Town Meeting, representing Precinct 7. There is certainly a feeling of heaviness in that we are losing a very large part of Amherst’s history and overall character. For me, there is somewhat of a sense of pride. I get to serve on the last stretch of a more than 200 year old tradition and I will be doing so as a member of a very diverse group of precinct representatives (half of Precinct 7’s town meeting members elected this year are people of color with a very broad age range). While it is certainly disheartening to see the change I have been working towards and hoping for come to a close (in terms of town meeting’s ability to reflect our town’s diversity) it also gives me hope and encouragement to see so many unique perspectives coming into the overall conversation. Let’s continue this new trend.

In these final months of our tradition of Town Meeting, I will be an open book and a voice for the people of South Amherst (and beyond). Feel free to reach out to me at any point, I’m here.

If you’re not already registered to vote, now is the perfect time…right now, while you are reading this. If you have a Massachusetts RMV issued ID, a learner’s permit or a drivers license, you can register to vote online. If you don’t have an RMV issued ID, you can download the form, print it out and either mail it back or bring it to town hall. Where do you need to go?